You Mean "Xmas"/Playing With
Basic Trope: The problem of writing a Christmas Episode in a decidely non-Christian setting is solved by introducing a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for the holiday.
- Straight: In the Magical Land of Narmnia, Aerith's family invites Bob to their traditional Life Day dinner.
- Exaggerated: Life Day is a winter holiday commemorating the birth of Life Dude. It includes practices such as decorating a tree, singing melodies, hanging socks on the chimney and receiving gifts from Father Winter.
- Justified: Christianity does exist in Narmnia, but it is forbidden by the Wicked Troll Government. Aerith's family is trying to celebrate Christmas as much as it is possible without vulnerating the actual word of the law.
- Inverted: In Narmnia, "Christmas" is the month when the secret priestly initiation rituals of the Narmnian Church are performed, which are believed to be mystically associated with Christ. Their details are concealed partly through a pretense about a man named Nicholas. Other than this, the ceremonies have little to do with christmas as we know it.
- Subverted: Bob, who fell on Narmnia through a magic door to our world, thinks at first that Life Day must be somewhat like Christmas, but soon finds there is no similarity between them.
- Double Subverted: ...except that when dinner ends, everybody gets up to sing melodies, decorate a tree, hang socks on the chimney and receive gifts from Father Winter.
- Parodied: Everytime Bob tries to pronounce the word "Christmas" during the holiday, Aerith's family scream "LIFE DAY!" at the top of their lungs.
- Deconstructed: ??
- Reconstructed: ??
- Zig Zagged: Life Day is a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a Narmnian troll folk hero.
- Averted: There is no Christmas Episode in this show.
- Enforced: The writers are forced to make a Christmas Episode by Executive Meddling.
- Lampshaded: "Oh, like Christmas?" "What's a Christmas?"
- Invoked: ??
- Defied: The writers offer the executives a lenghty and reasonable tirade about why Christmas can't exist in the world of Narmnia. They offer to do a holiday special still, but featuring a holiday that does not resemble Christmas at all and fits with previous traditions mentioned earlier in the show. The executives agree.
- Discussed: ??
- Conversed: "Incredible how the writers would go through such great lengths to create a completely alternate civilization only to rip off our holidays in the end"
- Played For Drama: Bob is a secretly devote Christian living in a nightmarish Brave New World-esque dystopia where religion is banned and Christmas has been replaced by "Life Day", a government-approved holiday devoid of any religious meaning and entirely centered around consumerism. Following a denounce to the secret police by Aerith, who had noticed something "odd" in Bob's behaviour during the Life Day dinner, Bob is arrested and sent to a re-education camp.
- Played For Laughs: ??
Back to You Mean "Xmas"